Safety attachment for whiffletrees.



PATENTED JUNE-2, 1908. H.- L. RUEDQ HMENT FOR WHIPFLETRBES. APPLICATIONFILED SEPT. 17. 1907.

SAFETY ATTAG 118E NORRIS Prsks NITED STATES PATENT oFFroE.

HANS L. RUED, OF BUTTERFIELD, MINNESOTA.

SAFETY ATTACHJVIENT FOR WHIFFLETREES.

Application filed. September'li, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HANS L. RUED, a citizen of the United States,residing at Butterfield, in the county of Watonwan and State ofMinnesota, have invented a new and useful Safety Attachment for Wvhiflletrees, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a safety attachment for whiflietrees.

The object of the resent invention is to provide a simple an inexpensivedevice of great strength and durability, adapted to be readily appliedto the tongue or ole, and capable of equalizing the draft and ofpreventing the latter from pulling the tongue or pole either upwardly ordownwardly to afiord a straight pull, and to prevent the necks of thehorses, or other draft animals from becoming sore.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter, adapted to prevent the swingletrees from dropping to theground should their pivot bolts become broken.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out in the claimshereto appended; it being understood'that various changes in the form,proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope ofthe claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing :Figure 1 is a reverse plan View of a safety attachment,constructed in accordance with this invention and shown applied to apole and its whiffletrees. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of thesame. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on the line wx of Fig. 2. Fig. 4is a detail perspective view of the attachment.

Like numerals of reference designate cor responding parts in all thefigures of the drawing.

The safety attachment comprises an evener bar or member 1, centrallypivoted to the lower face of a tongue or pole 2 and provided at its endswith upwardly extending substantially S-shaped clips or supports 3,which receive the ends of a doubletree 4 and swingletrees 5. The bar 1,which has a fiattened central portion 6 to fit the lower face of thetongue or pole 2, is provided with a central perforation 7 for thereception of a pivot Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1908.

Serial No. 393,289.

bolt 8 of the doubletree. The side portions of the bar 1 are arranged ata slight inclination and extend upwardly and outwardly, as clearlyillustrated in Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawing.

The ends of the bar 1 terminate at the ends of the doubletree, and theclips or supports 3, which are rigid with the bar 1, extend upwardlytherefrom and consist of upper loops 9 and reversely arranged lowerloops 10. The upper loops are open at the front and form recesses toreceive the ends of the doubletree, and the lower loops, which are openat the back, also form recesses to receive the central portions of theswingletrees 5, which are interposed between the doubletree and the bar1, thereby affording a straight central pull and preventing the draftfrom pulling the tongue or pole either upwardly or downwardly. By thisconstruction, the attachment operates to equalize the draft and while itstrengthens and braces the whiffletrees, it, by affording a centralpull, prevents the necks of the horses, or other draft animals fromgetting sore. The whiffletree bolts11 pierce the supports or clips, thetop, intermediate and bottom portions of the suports or clips beingprovided with alined perforations for the reception of the said bolts11. Should the whiflietree bolts break, the strain on the harness willoperate to draw the swingletrees forwardly in the lower loops 10, whichwill be held tightly against the ends of the doubletree by the traces,and by this construction and arrangement, the swingletrees will beprevented from dropping to the ground. Also the clips or supports do notpresent any projecting portions on which the lines may catch. The clipsor supports are provided at the bottom portions of the lower loops withrearwardly projecting eyes 12, adapted to receive stay straps or chains(not shown.)

' Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a pole, a doubletree located wholly above andpivoted to the upper face of the pole, swing etrees pivoted to thedoubletree and arranged beneath the end portions of the same and locatedin the same horizontal plane as the pole to centralize the draft, ofasafety attachment comprising a bar or member centrally pivoted to thelower face of the pole, and end supports formed integral with andextending upwardly from the bar or member and receiving and embracingthe swingletrees and the ends of the doubletrees at the pivotal pointsof the said swingletrees.

2. The combination with a pole, a double tree, and swingletrees locatedbelow the doubletree, of a safety attachment comprising a bar or membercentrally pivoted to the lower face of the pole, end supports rigidwiththe bar or member and having upper and lower loops receiving thedoubletree and the swin gletrees, and pivots piercing the doubletree,the swingletrees and the supports.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a safety attachment for whifiletreesconsisting of a bar or member adapted to fit against the lower face of apole and provided with a central perforation to receive the centralpivot of a doubletree, and substantially S-shaped supports formedintegral with and extending upwardly from the ends of the said bar ormember and having upper and lower loops to receive and embrace the endsof the doubletree at the central ortions of the swingletrees, saidsupports being also provided with openings for the pivots of theswingletrees.

4. The combination with a pole, a doubletree, and swingletrees locatedbeneath the doubletree, of a safety attachment comprising a bar ormember pivoted to the lower face of the pole, and substantially S-shapedterminal supports consisting of upper loops open at the front andreceiving the ends of the doubletree, and lower loops open at the backand receiving the swingletrees, and pivots securing the doubletree andthe swingletree to the supports.

5. A safety attachment for poles and whif- -fletrees comprising acentrally pivoted bar or member, and terminal supports integral with thebar or member and having reversely arranged loops adapted to receiveswingletrees and the ends of a doubletree at the pivotal points of theswingletrees.

6. The combination with a pole, a doubletree located wholly above andpivoted to the upper face of the pole, and swingletrees pivoted to theends of the doubletree and arranged beneath the end portions of the sameand located in the same horizontal plane as the pole to centralize thedraft, of a safety attachment comprising a bar or member centrallypivoted to the lower face of the pole, terminal supports formed integralwith the bar or member and provided at the front and back with recessesto receive the swingletrees and the doubletree, and eyes projectingrear- Wardly from the bottom of the supports and adapted to be connectedwith stay straps or chains.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoafliXed my signaturev in the presence of two witnesses.

HANS L. RUED.

